Bottle-stopper



(No Model.)

W. J. FERRIS.

I BOTTLE STOPPER. No. 481,616.

Patented Aug. 30, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM JOHN FERRIS, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

BOTTLE-STOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 481,616, dated August30, 1892.

Application filed May S, 1892. Serial No. 431,646. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J OHN FERRIS, a British subject, residing atLouisville, in the county of Jefierson and State of Kentucky, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Stoppers; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Dishonest retail dealers of bottled liquids frequently defraud thepublic by refilling bottles with goods cheaper and inferior to theoriginal stock and by dispensing the same under the false representationthat they are the manufacture of the established house whose name andlabel appear upon the bottles.

The main object of my invention is to prevent such impositions upon thepublic and such injury to the good repute of the productions ofconscientious manufacturers.

To this end I have devised a stopper adapted to be irremovably insertedin the bottleneck after the bottle has been originally filled, saidstopper permitting the pouring out of the contents, but preventingsubsequent refilling. It is incidental to the construction of thestopper that it also acts as a safeguard against spilling the liquidcontents from the bottle should the latter be accidentally tipped overupon its side.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrative of the invention, Figure 1represents, partly broken away and partly in section, the upper portionof the bottle having a stopper embodying the generic features of theimprovement. Fig. 2 represents alike View of amodification thereof. Fig.3 represents a top plan View of one portion of the stopper shown in Fig.2, and Fig. 4 represents a like View of another portion thereof.

Similar numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughout theseveral views.

Referring to the drawings, 5 indicates a bottle, flask, or other similarreceptacle having in its neck a cross-partition 6, provided with anaperture 7, and having an annular flange 8, said cross-partition beingpreferably formed integral with the bottle-neck during the manufactureof the latter. The upper face of the partition 6 is ground out trueabout the aperture 7, so as to form a spheri- V to its ground seat as toconstitute when in place a liquid-tight cover for the aperture. Afterthe bottle is filled withits original contents the valve 9 is insertedin the neck and seats itself over the aperture 7 in a watertight manner.In order now to be able to dispense the contents at will, but at thesame time to prevent refilling, I provide means for permitting the valveto leave the aperture when the bottle is inverted, but for retaining itin place at all other times. To this end in the form of my inventionshown in Fig. 1 I insert a disk 10 in the bottle-neck, so as to restupon the annular flange 8, said disk being provided with apertures 11 ofsuitable size and number. I then heat the bottle-neck until sufficientlysoft to permit ine to press its walls inwardly, as indicated at 12, insuch manner that on cooling and hardening said restricted portion of theneck holds the disk 10 rigidly in the neck and irremovably, in so far asany facilities within the usual possession of the retail dealer areconcerned. When the bottle is completely inverted or turned upside down,the valve will fall by gravity upon the space between the openings 11and the contents will then discharge through said openings. Unless thebottle is thus inverted completely the aperture 7 will not be uncoveredby the valve 9. Thus if the bottle is tilted sidewise in any directionthe valve will tip with it into a position indicated in dotted lines,one point of its flat end striking against the inner wall of thebottle-neck and the diametrically-opposite point coming in contact withthe under surface of the disk 10, as shown. Consequently the valve willremain upon its seat, being unable to move endwise, and though thebottle be tilted from side to side the valve will merely swing upon itsseat as a pivot and will not leave said seat. Any liquid, therefore,inserted in the bottle-neck while the bottle is upright or tiltedsidewise Will be ICO unable to eifect an entrance into the interior ofthe bottle. Nor will it avail to shake the bottle with the expectationthat the liquid will enter, inasmuch as at the first attempt to shakethe bottle the valve 9 will be tilted into the inclined position.

The stopper shown in Fig. 1 is a suflicient safeguard for general use,as the ordinary retail dealer is not provided with the costly andcomplicated vacuum apparatus required for filling bottles whencompletely inverted; but in order to provide against even suchcontingency, I may employ the additional or auxiliary features ofconstruction shown in Fig. 2. In the construction shown in said Fig. 2the same form of valve 9, cross-partition 6, aperture 7, and annularflange 8 are present. Instead of the-disk 10, however, there issubstituted a two-part device having an inner chamber 13, in which iscontained a light disk-valve 14, preferably of cork. The part 18,resting upon the annular flange, has the same function and relationshipto the valve 9 as has the disk 10 of Fig. 1. It is likewise providedwith perforations 16, and on its upper surface has preferably aprojection 17, whose purpose is to support the disk-valve so that itwill not adhere to the said surface when wet. The upper part consists ofa glass cap-piece 15, fitting over the disk 18, as shown, and is madeliquid-tight about its periphery in any suitable manner, butconveniently by means of a cylindrical washer 19 of cork. This cappieceis provided with the zigzag apertures 20 and is held in place by therestricted portion 12 of the bottle-neck in the same manner as has beendescribed in connection with Fig. 1.

As in the form shown in Fig. 1, so also in this form of the inventionthe contents of the bottle can only be discharged when the bottle iscompletely inverted. The light diskvalve 14, being buoyant, does notinterfere with the outflow, but permits it to take place freely.Refilling without the aid of vacuum apparatus cannot take place for thereasons explained in connection with Fig. 1, nor can refilling beefiected even with the aid of the vacuum apparatus.

If it is attempted to refill by the aid of the vacuum apparatus and byinverting the bottle for that purpose, the first effect of the exhaustproduced by the vacuum apparatus would be to draw or suck the disk-valve14: into the position shown in Fig. 2, so as to completely prevent theentrance of any liquid into the bottle beyond said valve. The openings20 are designedly made zigzag, so as to render futile any attempt toinsert a wire for the purpose of holding back the disk-valve during theexhaust.

It will be apparent that should a bottle provided with either form ofstopper fall upon its side the contents will not be spilled, as thevalve 9 will not in such case leave its seat.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A stopper forbottles, flasks, and like receptacles, consisting of a valve seated upona discharge-opening of the receptacles, and a retaining device so.arranged in proximity to the valve as to permit the latter to have alimited movement from said seat when in a vertical position, butpreventing such movement when in any other position, substantially asdescribed.

2. A stopper for bottles, flasks, and like receptacles, consisting of anelongated valve spherical at its lower end and seated upon a sphericalseat surrounding the dischargeopening of the receptacle, and aperforated retaining-disk located above the valve and in close proximitythereto, so as to permit the valve to leave its seat only when inavertical position, substantially as described.

3. A stopper for bottles, flasks, and the like, consisting of across-partition located in the discharge-neck and having an aperture, avalve-seat of spherical contour upon the upper end of said aperture, avalve upon said seat, said valve being spherical at one end and flat atthe other, and a perforated retainin g-disk above the valvein proximitythereto, so as to prevent the valve from leaving its seat except when ina vertical position, substantially as described.

4. In a stopper for bottles, flasks, and the like, a device forpreventing the refilling by vacuum apparatus, consisting of a valvelocated in proximity to the entrance-opening of the bottle and withinthe same, said valve being adapted to be drawn or sucked across saidopening when the vacuum apparatus is set in operation, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a stopper for bottles, flasks, and the like, a device forpreventing the refilling by vacuum apparatus, consisting of a valvelocated in proximity to the entrance-opening of thebottle and within thesame, said valve being adapted to be drawn or sucked across said openingwhen the vacuum apparatus is set in operation, and the bottle-openingbeing zigzag, so as to prevent interference with said valve,substantially as described.

6. In a stopper for bottles, flasks, and the like, a device forpreventing the refilling by vacuum apparatus, consisting of a perforateddisk, a cap-piece above said disk and forming therewith an interiorchamber, a floatvalve located within such chamber, and zigzag openingsin the top of the cap-piece, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM JOHN FERRIS.

Witnesses:

AD WAGNER, CHAS. SCHUWIRTH.

IIC

